Nick Saban, Ron Zook and Steve Spurrier have something in common. They all have a problem with recruiting fan sites.
The Alabama coach says some "reporters" for the sites have been passing along incorrect and potentially damaging information to 2010 recruits about the impact of NCAA sanctions on the Crimson Tide program.
"That should be addressed by somebody and should be brought to bear," Saban said. "If people are just covering recruiting with honesty and integrity, [there's no problem]. But all those guys that work out there for [recruiting sites] are for the school. Everybody roots for a team. And they get information for a team."
Saban did not name names, but as Ian Rapoport of the Birmingham News writes, reporters for Rivals and Scout must sign a code of ethics when they are hired as a way of ensuring integrity in reporting.
"If reporters appear to be assisting a school in recruiting, there is a possibility they may be classified as boosters [or 'representatives of athletic interests'] by the NCAA. If that happens, they would be prohibited by NCAA bylaws from calling a prospective recruit or members of his family."
In April 2008, Illinois' Zook, speaking out against the "Saban Rule," said the next great recruiting scandal could come from the fan sites because the owners/operators are the only ones who have unregulated access to recruits when coaches can't talk to them.
"We're turning the recruiting over to the so-called recruiting gurus," Zook said. "Now, all of a sudden, just like you've got basketball coaches complaining that it's turning over to the AAU coaches, now we're turning it over to these guys that can call them.
"Well, you know what a lot of them are saying. They're selling their school to these kids, and we're not able to talk to them. To me, we're losing this thing, in my opinion."
Bobby Burton of Rivals was quick to fire back at Zook.
"The [Saban Rule] has come about because of your profession's inability to work within the rules that govern them. Simply put, the NCAA doesn't want its head coaches going out in the spring because they don't trust you and your brethren.
"This new rule has nothing to do with Rivals.com; it's not our job to recruit players, nor is any writer paid to recruit players to a school. It's our job to report about recruiting. Instead, the new rule has everything to do with your profession's inability to follow rules."
Last July, Spurrier entered the fray, saying that someone working for a Clemson fan site had been mailing recruits and sending them articles about Gamecock players having brushes with the law. Spurrier didn't name the site, but publishers of Rivals' Tiger Illustrated and Scout's CU Tigers denied the allegation.
"Usually when a guy’s arrested for whatever, that always makes the headlines," Spurrier said. "And the guy that runs the Clemson website, he likes to send those articles to recruits all over the state. So I just wondered if he sends the articles about all charges dropped. So you guys that know that dude over there, tell him he can add that one today [a marijuana possession charge dropped against receiver Dion LeCorn] hopefully when he sends them out."
Nick Saban should never ever use the words, honesty, and, integrity, in a sentence because he is neither. Ask the Miami Dolphins, and the LSU Tigers about Saban's honesty and integrity.
As to the broader issue, coaches are getting pissy because something they cannot control has an impact on their livelihood. Shocking. Just shocking.
Someone (how about me) needs to tell these overpaid blowhards to shut their pie holes.
Posted by: bevo | June 22, 2009 at 04:58 AM
What's much funnier about Flipper's comment is, the Alabama Rivals site (BamaOnline) is notorious for employing full-on recruiters for the "home team" as their "reporters." I can't think of another recruiting page with a reputation as bad as BOL's. Funny, I don't see little Nicky complaining about them...
Posted by: Jimmy Pritchard | June 23, 2009 at 06:42 AM
"all those guys that work out there for [recruiting sites] are for the school."
So which one is working for Alabama?
Posted by: spreadoption | June 23, 2009 at 07:16 AM
Like always, technology brings great things and more ways to screw things up
Posted by: Jay | June 23, 2009 at 11:45 AM
People will always find ways to cheat the system. As far as these players getting wrong information from the site, athletes constantly get misinformation.....as do non-athletes who commit to the wrong school as they were misinfomred.....It is up to these athletes, student-athletes to figure it out...if they are going to a 4-year school..they should be able to...
Who cares if someone e-mailed an athlete saying this school has a high incidence of students who are arretsed? There are 100 people giving this top recruit information and it is all conflicting...
If these sites have good reputations the people who work there aren't going to do anything to screw it up...if they break the rules the site will lose its reputation....It is really that simple...it really is....
Lots of sketch people advise thes recruits, people that have all sorts of agendas...
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